|
|
Grit and bear it
02.12.08
Winter arrives in
Inishowen
INISHOWEN is in the grip of winter as temperatures
plummet leaving many of the peninsula's roads
treacherous with black ice.
Gritters from Donegal County Council were out all
weekend and were scheduled to begin gritting the
main routes again from 7pm last night.
A Council spokeswoman said the trucks would also be
out in force from early this morning.
"There will be an all-out countywide check on
prioritised routes at 6am on Tuesday morning and
gritting will be carried out where necessary," said
the spokeswoman.
As many of the outward warning signs, such as ice on
cars, were absent in some areas yesterday, a number
of unsuspecting motorists were caught out by black
ice on their way to work. |
 |
Meanwhile, Met Eireann
forecaster Vincent O'Shea said icy roads were a
particular problem for Donegal because of
intermittent rain and sleet showers combined with
low temperatures as night fell on Saturday and
Sunday.
"Most of the country was dry but Donegal had sleet
and showers and this left some of the roads |
wet before turning
icy," he said.
There was a continuing risk of icy patches last
night with rain possibly falling as sleet or snow on
higher ground.
Mr O'Shea urged Inishowen motorists to continue
taking care this morning and to be particularly
vigilant on sheltered back roads not reached by the
gritters. Meanwhile, he said there would be a
gradual improvement in the frosty conditions over
the coming days.
"While there will possibly be a slight frost on
Tuesday night, rain and strong winds are coming in
for Wednesday. There will be a transition from the
very cold conditions of recent days to more wet and
windy weather mid-week and the frost will abate,"
added Mr O'Shea. |
|
